Beets 2015

Something (probably voles) has eaten most of our beets from underneath.  What was still left we pulled and pickled.  Defiantly a sad hall but better than nothing.  It is now vole season!  

Sweet Red Beets

YIELD

6 pints

35 -40 small beets (12 cups cut)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 cups white vinegar

In a large pot cook the unpeeled beets until fork-tender (do not overcook) cool and then remove the skins.

Slice into about 1/4-inch thick or cut into cubes.

Pack into the canning jars 

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, water, vinegar bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes

pour over the beets in the jars, leaving 3/4-inch headspace.

Process for 30 min

Tomato Sauce 2015

TOMATO SAUCE

We tried the blender method this year for tomato sauce.
Cut off top and any blemishes. 

Chopped into chunks and blended until smooth. 

Then pored it through a sieve to remove the seeds. (This is defiantly faster than blanching peeling coring and ruing through a mill )

Then it is just matter of cooking it down.  

The turkey roster in the oven still seems to be the best option. 

Pint:

• ¼ tsp Citric Acid or 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
Quart:
• ½ tsp Citric Acid or 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
Add salt (optional) in the quantity specified below:
• Pint: ½ tsp
• Quart: 1 tsp
Add dried herbs (optional) to each jar.

Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  

Wipe rim. 

Center lid on jar. 

Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 35 minutes and quart jars for 40 minutes.

Pears 2015

When we were in Ohio we helped prune my mother's pear trees and we left with a bunch of pears.

From Ball

PEARS IN SYRUP

Makes about 8 (16 oz) pints or 4 (32 oz) quarts
Bartlett pears are considered best for canning. Kieffer pears and similar varieties are satisfactory if properly ripened and cooked in water instead of syrup until almost tender, drained and then packed in jars with a light syrup.

PRESERVING METHOD:Waterbath Canning

YOU WILL NEED:
8-12 lb ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, halved, treated to prevent browning and drained (about 24-36 medium)
1 batch hot light or medium syrup
8 Ball® (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bandsPears is syrup (from Ball Blue book)

PREPARE pears by peeling, coring and halving them. To prevent browning, use Fruit-Fresh or submerge pears in a mixture of 1/4 cup lemon juice and 4 cups water and drain. To prepare syrup, combine 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar and 5-1/4 cups water for light and 3-1/4 cups granulated sugar and 5 cups water for medium in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until needed, taking care not to boil the syrup down.

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

WARM pears, one layer at a time, in a large stainless steel saucepan, over medium-low heat, in syrup until heated through, about 5 minutes.

PACK hot pears , using a slotted spoon, cavity side down and overlapping layers, into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot syrup into hot jar to cover pears, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot syrup. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

PROCESS pint jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Broccoli 2015

We are getting some broccoli although they are covered with worms. so it took some time to clean them off.

Garden mascot

Garden mascot make an appearance

Face in the Pear

We tried using some forms on the Pears. They were too small to completely fill the mold but you can see the face

This is only the second year for the pear tree but we did get a bowl full of our pears.